So how do you make a statement more believable in marketing? One way is by being specific. Generality, besides being boring usually, also lends itself, quite easily exaggeration.
Compare the Herald’s advert which claims that “millions of people read their paper daily” vs the Daily News version here which thanks 565 162 readers for their support. Which sounds more believable to you?
Be careful though.
Being specific can sometimes also seem somewhat ‘inaccurate’ to say the least, which is what i was tempted to think of the Number offered
by the DailyNews paper here, but then i saw that they arrived at this figure from an independent source (all the way at the bottom of advert)
” Source: ZAMPs, June 2011″ – nothing like a quote from an independent (and hopefully respected) body to bolster up the credibility of any marketing claim.
The whole thing could have been better, but i do like their use of an exact, specific number, backed up by an independent source. Something rarely seen in Zimbabwean newspaper or print advertising.
Only 3 reasons people don’t buy
- The don’t want it – at all, or just from you.
- They can’t afford it.
- They don’t believe you
If the market doesn’t want what you’re selling, it my prove too expensive or risky to pursue it any longer. If they can’t afford what you’re selling then you’ve targeted he wrong people and if they don’t believe you, then you need to work on the credibility of your brand, and the believability of your marketing.
Stay smart.
Max Soutter 
Say something!